


Dyad of Love

by ruthy4vrsmoaked



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Angst and Romance, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Force Bond (Star Wars), Force Resurrection, Post-Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Rating May Change, Redeemed Ben Solo, Rey Needs A Hug, Reylo - Freeform, Reylo Baby, Romance, Saving Ben Solo, Smut Follows Later, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Spoilers, The Author Regrets Nothing, The Author Rejects Epilogue, The Force Ships It
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-22
Updated: 2020-01-31
Packaged: 2021-02-25 21:48:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,110
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21902518
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ruthy4vrsmoaked/pseuds/ruthy4vrsmoaked
Summary: Force Dyad: two sides of the Force connected as one.Rey wasn’t hugging Finn and Poe to celebrate their victory over the Dark Side and the destruction of the First as they were called in the end.She was seeking comfort. The human touch to ease the ache in her heart that she couldn’t shake away, no matter how hard she tried.The one she wanted to touch, to sense his powerful heartbeat underneath her palm, had vanished in a blue shimmer. The one she wanted to kiss again, to feel his pillowy lips against her own, was gone forever.Surviving instead of living. Until the spark Ben left behind was more than just a tingling in her belly. Until her conversations with Ben were no mind games but his spirit talking to her, yet it sounded too sharp to be a whisper. Until Rey stopped at nothing to bring Ben Solo back to life and save him from a life between two worlds.Their dyad was a power like life itself.
Relationships: Rey & Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 12
Kudos: 155
Collections: TROS Reylo Fix-it Fics





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own any of Star Wars characters. If I did, TRoS would have had a completely different ending.
> 
> Thank you TazWren for being my beta for this entire work, where I return Ben Solo to Rey where he should be at the end of the movie.
> 
> It starts angsty but I guarantee a happy ending.

## Chapter 1: Putting up a mask

Hugging Poe and Finn had an entirely different meaning to Rey than what her two friends thought. 

She wasn’t hugging them to celebrate their victory over the Dark Side and the destruction of the First, or Final Order as they were called in the end.

She was seeking comfort. The human touch to ease the ache in her heart that she couldn’t shake away, no matter how hard she tried. 

The one she _wanted_ to touch, to sense his powerful heartbeat underneath her palm, had vanished in a blue shimmer. The one she wanted to kiss again, to feel his pillowy lips against her own, was gone forever.

Her mind replayed the last minute of their joining like a broken record. His closed eyes, his focussing on the healing hand, the warm weight on her belly, passing on his life energy to bring her back to the living world. Her surprise at seeing his soft face covered with beauty marks, but devoid of any scars.

His eyes shining with raw emotion, mirroring the feelings she had carried for a long time. The man she had _known_ he was, underneath the mask.

All to be taken away, the very next second, without even the chance of a goodbye. The vicious ripping off a bandaid, with only his clothes as the material evidence that he had even been there the entire time. To fight with her, for the right cause. To protect her.

They were a Dyad, according to the monster, two sides of the Force connected as one, with a power like life itself.

Now, only her side of the Force existed. Ben Solo was gone, taking with him her heart.

“Hey, what’s with the sad look, peanut?” Finn’s finger rubbed against her jaw. Meanwhile, resistance pilots and members crossed their path, patting each other on the shoulders and congratulating the two Generals for the victory. 

She flashed him and the others a seemingly tired smile, her best mask in place to hide her actual mood, “Just tired, so much happened so quickly.”

His arm closed around her shoulders, hugging her into his side. “We won, peanut! The fucking First Order is whipped from our galaxy!”

The rising corner of her mouth barely hid her whimper. 

“Rey? Are you crying?” Finn shuffled to stand before her, both palms raising her face up to his eye level.

“No, why would I cry?” Yet, she sniffed.

“What’s wrong, peanut. You should rejoice our victory! Nobody saw Kylo fucking Ren either, his arse must have been blasted away, along with his Knights of Ren.” His efforts to cheer her up only resulted in the opposite reaction.

Shifting her gaze from his face, she struggled to control her trembling chin and silent sobs. “He saved my life.”

“Oh, that’s good.” The former stormtrooper nodded, then frowned and tilted his head in succession. “He? Who’s he?”

“Ben Solo.” Rey retreated a few steps, drying the rebellious tears with the back of her hand. “He revived me after I defeated Palpatine, the Sith Emperor. The energy it took drained me to death, and Ben used the last of his life energy to save me.”

“Who’s Ben Solo?” Finn had trouble following her story. “Are you still hurt? Do you need medical assistance?” His eyes roamed over her face, seeking open wounds.

“Ben Solo, Leia’s… Leia and Han’s son…” She took a deep breath, “Kylo Ren.”

“KYLO REN?” his shout attracted the attention of Poe, who sauntered over to them.

“What’s up with Kylo Ren? Isn’t he dead?” His gaze shifted between Rey and Finn, “Didn’t we just take every First Order ship down? Come on, let’s celebrate! Time to grab a drink, and rejoice our victory.”

“Poe, wait a fucking minute.” Finn pushed Poe back with a hand against his chest, “Rey, tell me again to be sure I got it right. You defeated the Sith Emperor, but it almost killed you, and it was Kylo Ren, who saved you from death?” Poe grew silent next to the former stormtrooper.

“The effort killed me.” A new wave of singing made her almost nauseous, “I’m still alive because of Kylo Ren.”

“Well, then the bastard did one good thing before he died,” Poe shrugged.

“Yeah, he did.” Her features hardened immediately. “I have to go, there’s still something left to do. I’ll return when I’m finished.”

“Peanut, can’t it wait?” Finn’s hand held her arm to stop her leaving. “Relax for a day, you can still do this task tomorrow or next week.” He waved Poe’s confused expression off. “You said it yourself, it’s been too much too fast.”

“It can’t wait.” She hugged him familiarly, waved at Poe, and walked away towards Luke’s X-wing. Finn followed, just a step behind while the other general of the resistance stood confused, wondering what to do next. 

BB-8, on the contrary, rolled in pursuit, beeping in a questioning tone, asking where she was headed.

“Somewhere, BB-8, pay homage to a dear friend.” Rey lowered the boarding ladder, walking around the aircraft in preparation for the imminent take-off. 

“Do you want me to come with you?” Finn kept close-by.

“You can’t come, Finn. This craft is one-man only.” Her bag was still inside the X-wing, the helmet also, as she climbed the stairs to confirm their location. BB-8 beeped and rolled his head. “You have to stay here, BB-8, your place is next to Poe.” The robot didn’t agree with a series of noises.

Poe scratched at his head of his curls, “You can take him, Rey. I have no immediate use for him, he’ll keep an eye on you for us.”

“I fought the Emperor, don’t you think I can take care of myself?” Her glare fixed his shifting gaze - Poe didn’t do well with determined women.

“Take BB-8, come back as soon as you can.” Finn decided in Poe’s place. The droid beeped his contentment loudly, before rolling under the craft and issuing a signal to be lifted into place.

“I’ll keep in touch.” She climbed into the cockpit and settled her helmet in place. Rey fired up the engines, eager to escape the skeptical interrogation from Finn and Poe’s soulless response to Ben’s sacrifice.

As always, they thought they knew her, but in reality, none of them knew who she was.

*Tatooine*

After spending time in Jakku, Rey finally landed on the planet where it all began for Luke, Tatooine. Far from everything and everyone, rebuilding her lightsaber - which resembled a mix between Kylo’s and Luke’s saber, harboring the kyber crystal she picked up at Ilum.

She easily located Luke’s, his uncle Lars’, home - the abandoned desert moisture farm with the rounded habitation spheres solitary and surrounded by orange surfaces, a clear blue sky, and two suns.

An older woman approached her, “Who are you? I haven’t seen you around here.”

“I’m Rey.” The young woman held a hand up to block out the bright sunlight.

“Rey... Rey who?” Enquired the first.

“Rey…” Looking around her, she saw in the distance the blurry shapes of two familiar faces, Luke and Leia. The name Skywalker came to mind, but it didn’t feel complete. “Rey Solo-Skywalker.” The Palpatine name was nothing to be proud of, a legacy she refused to own or continue.

“Hmm, never heard of you.” The old hag stared silently for another minute. “Are you going to stay long?”

“I haven’t decided yet. For a while, at least.” The woman left with a hum. Peace fell once again upon Rey.

The Skywalker name wasn’t hers to take, nor was Solo. But, it was a legacy she wanted to keep alive, honoring the man she loved and missed every day. Praising his mother and uncle who, despite all their flaws, did feel like the family she hadn’t had.

“C’mon BB-8, we have work to do.” Hoisting her quarterstaff over her shoulder, she walked out before randomly stopping a spot and kneeling. She grabbed the package from her backpack - wrapped in a thick fabric, Leia and Luke’s lightsabers lay next to each other. Rey glanced once more to the place where she last saw their indistinct shapes and smiled softly. She covered the sabers tightly and set them on the ground.

Rising to her feet, she used the Force to bury the package deep in the earth, their last resting place.

She entered the farm to explore Luke’s former home. Finn had been informed of her whereabouts - vaguely somewhere in the Outer Rim to avoid uninvited guests. He wasn’t very happy with her vagueness, though she left him no choice.

If Ben Solo had become one with the Force, then there was no other choice than to live a solitary life until it was her time to rejoin him in the realms of the Force.

Sometimes while she slept, she could still hear his baritone voice as if he was sitting next to her, whispering how much he loved her. There were moments when it seemed like she could hear his voice clearly in her mind, not as a memory or a dream but a real flash.

“I wanted to take your hand, Ben.” She whispered later that night in a one-person bunker she found, probably Luke’s. The last thing she needed was a curious droid asking if she was talking to herself, again.

“I know…” This invisible Ben confirmed softly.

“I still can fill your hand on my belly, your life essence warming me up inside, it feels like a tingle.” She caressed the place, feeling a tiny spark of Force beneath her palm. A spark that reminded her of the ghost-pain fighters felt after losing a limb. 

In her case, it wasn’t ghost-pain; it was the ghostly weight of his hand, still lying on her stomach, thumb lightly caressing, paired with a tingling spark of life. 

A spark she hoped never to lose. Even though his single touch was now more than a standard month old, seven weeks to be precise.

Seven weeks had passed since their one and only kiss. His dimples showing after a short release of breath, his happiness etched in his features, mirroring her own feelings of sheer bliss. Their coming together was carved in her memory, as familiar as the pang in her heart.

Let the resistance cheer and celebrate, move on with their lives, and rebuild the galaxy.

She wanted peace. Peace to mourn his passing, wishing she could go back in time and defeat the monster together with Ben. Saving him first from the pit before finishing off the beast with his own Force lightning.

She wasn’t living. She was surviving. The belonging she sought had been ahead of her but had barely lasted a minute.


	2. The spark rises in strength

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Ben,” Rey whispered in her sleep, burying her cheek deeper into his shirt, which she snuggled with every night.
> 
> The fabric still carried his scent. The hole Rey had burned through with her lightsaber was widening, thanks to her insistant thumbing. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My gratitude goes to TazWren for her beta work. Thank you, lady :)

## 

## Chapter 2: The spark rises in strength

“Ben,” Rey whispered in her sleep, burying her cheek deeper into his shirt, which she snuggled with every night.

The fabric still carried his scent. The hole Rey had burned through with her lightsaber was widening, thanks to her insistant thumbing. 

During their fight on the Death Star wrekage his mother had reached out to him, for the first time in a long time, and the shock stalled him mid-fight, surprising Rey at the same time. Leia's raspy voice had called his name once, but it had been enough to make a crack in the determined dark-sider. 

Still consumed by a fighting rage Rey had lashed out, thrusting the burning blade through Ben's abdomen, and had regretted the action immediately. How could she have hurt her Ben? Her beloved Leia's son?

_“Go to sleep, Rey. You’re exhausted._ ” Ben’s soft voice calmed her spirit as it often did when she fought against tiredness, but just barely.

She whispered in return, “Falling asleep hurts, Ben.”

“ _I know, Sunshine. You need to heal, love, for both of us.”_ She saw him kneel at her side of the bed, wearing the same black clothes he had been, caressing her hair with a large hand. His features were surrounded by a white halo, vague enough to show his physical absence, but sufficiently sharp to discern his warm brown gaze, filled with compassion, worry and love. The same expression he had worn before he closed his eyes permanently. 

“I can’t heal, you’re gone. There’s this empty hole inside my chest that just doesn’t close.” That last was sobbed from between lips wet with spittle.

Rey shifted to follow Ben with her eyes as he rounded the bunk to the opposite side, crawling into the bed. Instantly she curled around his frame.

“ _I’m not gone, I’m right here with you. I haven’t abandoned you._ ” Ben slipped his right arm underneath her neck to pull her closer to him.

"I'm losing my mind, you know? Look at me right now, I’m imagining you’re here, talking to you as if you can hear me. If Finn saw me, he would drag me into a medical facility to receive mental therapy." She shifted within the white circle of his arms. "It's the scent of your shirt that comforts my heart and lulls me into sleep, I keep your boots and pants in a special place, the very last things of yours that I possess."

“ _I know._ " His hand shoved a wet curl away from her face, damp from her tears. His brown gaze roamed over her features constantly, as if he was memorizing every expression. Ben’s mouth curled softly into a smile.

“You know… Oh, Maker, I’m becoming demented. Do you know that I fold your clothes every night just to hold them for a while? That I polish your boots to clean them of the dust, to make them shine prettily?” Summing up the nightly ritual, she completed before going to sleep, gave the odd routine a strange connotation. But going through the motions soothed her soul for a few moments.

“ _I know. I see how you polish every corner of my boot, how hard you rub to remove that little scratch I got from missing a step while climbing into my TIE.”_ He chuckled at the memory.

"Oh, really? You couldn't enter fast enough, as usual, eh?" She smirked through her tears, until her features grew wary again, "Are you a Force Ghost now?"

“ _No, I don't know what I am. I'm in this dark empty place, surrounded by doors that I can’t open, white-lit pathways that I have run over and over to discover that all of them lead back to the same place. However, I can see you through one of these doors. Watch you do your thing each day, how you're messing with the vaporator too, and holding long conversations with your droid_." His thumb drew soothing circles around her temple, Rey's eyes growing more heavy with every minute.

"I'm not messing around with the vaporator. I saw how one worked on Jakku and BB-8 is helping me understand the binary code." She spoke in a slur, nestling deeper between his arms, or so she imagined because she felt no warmth, no tight hold around her frame, and the kiss she noticed him press on her forehead left no damp spot.

“ _If you say so. Go to sleep, sunshine.”_ Ben let his head rest on her forehead.

“I love you, Ben.”

“ _I love you, Rey.”_

-oOo-

“ _You’re hooking the condenser upside down, Sunshine._ ”

Rey shrieked, “Agh! You nerf herder, can’t you warn me when you show up?” She spun around, a rusty wrench in hand ready to strike. The other palm rested against her belly, “At least, when we had those Force Bond conversations, my surroundings went mute.”

“ _You sound just like my mother. My father used to tell me it was her favorite insult._ ” He leaned against a chilling bar, his arms crossed at the chest and his chin slightly tilted to the side.

Rey appreciated the way the fabric tightened around his biceps, and gave him a visible once-over. "Your mother was an intelligent woman." Looking away from his knowing grin, she grabbed the condenser tube, held it against the cradle without success. Looking surreptitiously over her shoulder, she rotated the pipe upside down and tried again, groaning when the tube fit as it was supposed to. Unable to resist, she stuck her tongue at him in response to his cocky grin and raised eyebrow.

“ _I agree, my mother was an intelligent woman, an excellent strategic mind perfect for her work as a politician…_ ” She heard the dread in his voice.

"But she wasn’t the best mother in the world," Rey finished his sentence, rising to her feet and patting away the dust off her leggings before strolling closer to him, "Nevertheless, she loved you, Ben."

“ _I'm not debating she loved me, yet, she had little time for me. The galaxy and the senate were the most imperative; they demanded the most of her attention…_ ”

“She loved you, Ben. She never stopped believing you would return to the light.” She caressed his shimmering face.

“ _She feared me just like Luke did_ ." Ben glanced away, seeking a visible change of subject. " _What are you doing to the vaporator?_ ”

“It was making an odd sound, so I picked it apart to clean it up.” Returning to the condenser tubes, she released another with her wrench, picking up a rag to clean the edges.

“ _Are you sure that the problem is the condenser tube?_ ” He had moved behind her, startling her with how close his voice sounded.

"It's what I think, and BB-8 agrees with me, right, BB-8?"

The droid came rolling, beeping questioning.

“I’m talking to Ben, he’s right behind me.” She explained but frowned when the droid rolled his head back and forth, inquiring. “No, I’m not talking to myself, BB-8. Ben Solo is right behind me.” She stared back right into the familiar face. “Can’t you see him, BB-8?”

BB-8's response was a short but determined no.

"Well, I can and don't you question my sanity, I haven't lost my mind." She shook her head, laughing, "Yes, BB-8, I'm certain."

“ _You have quite a sassy droid there. Reminds me of uncle Luke’s R2D2._ ”

"Ben says you're a sassy droid, is he right?" The vaporator was forgotten temporarily, Rey laughing heartedly at the displeased response. "BB-8 is telling you he's the smartest droid in the galaxy." She patted the round head gently, the droid bowing his head to receive more.

She returned to her work in silence, sensing Ben's presence at every move. At the same time, BB-8 beeped nonstop with advice about the working of the condenser.

Finally, she rose up her feet, cleaned her fingers on the rag, then stood staring off at the twin suns while caressing her abdomen.

“ _Why are you rubbing your belly?”_ Ben stood next to her, looking inquisitively down at her movements. His tall presence cast no shadow next to hers.

“Ever since you laid your hands on my belly, to resuscitate me, there’s this tingle that I sense inside. A spark that’s growing in strength, I can’t explain.” The hand stroked back and forth. “Whatever it is, is making me feel a little joy.”

Ben reached out to cover her hand with his bigger palm, “ _It's a tiny spark of the Force, Rey. A bright light, I sense._ " Suddenly, he knelt before her and cupped her belly with both hands, " _May I_?”

Confused, she nodded.

There was no pressure on her belly, but she could feel his essence entering her body, narrowing onto the spark and tracing it to her womb. When the one met the other, her spark flared within her body, as if happy to sense Ben, “Ben?”

“ _Lay your hands where mine are_ .” She complied immediately, upon which he rested his forehead against her abdomen, right under her chest. “ _Can you feel them?_ ”

“Ben, what is happening?” Her chin trembled.

His lips were shaking, eyes becoming red-rimmed filled with the emotions that were invading him, “ _I passed on more to you than my life essence, it’s more than one spark, love. Somehow you… I…_ ”

"I'm having your twins?" She fell on her knees, willing to embrace him but grabbing into the air. 

“ _Yes, Sunshine, we have created life together somehow. You will not be alone, Rey._ ” He cradled her face, “ _I feel a female and a male signature. We’re continuing the Skywalker bloodline by combining two legacies. A Force pregnancy and twins like my mother and my uncle._ ”

"But, no father to help me raise them…" She broke in tears, shattered between the grace of having his heirs under her heart and the harsh reality she's been subjected to. She inched closer intent on resting her head on his broad, muscular chest. The truth was bitter instead, despite the white halo marking his frame.

Rey leaned back, her arms folded around the belly, protecting her babies within.

“ _You have friends enough to lend you a hand, the traitor, or that rebel scum Poe. But as long as this world between worlds allows, I'll be right next to you. Remember, we're a Dyad, two parts of one soul. I'll be with you until my last breath inside this forsaken place._ ” He looked around him, the dark empty space with white lined doors and infinite paths. “ _If I could only find a way out. I’m not dead, I’m not alive, I’m something trapped in this kriffing cage._ ”

She dried the tears with her fingers, "I have the ancient Jedi books I took from Ahch-To. There has to be something within about the place you're at and how to bring you back." This decision gave her a newfound strength. She straightened her shoulders, "And when I do, those Force Ghosts who spoke support while I was defeating Palpatine better come once more to my aid." The conviction was steadfast in her voice.

“ _I’m a little bitter about that slight detail. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t regret them coming to your aid, but my entire family left me to crawl out of that kriffing pit by myself. Not even my grandfather, who I worshipped tremendously_.” His lips pulled into a tight line, resembling a former Kylo-ish pout.

“You will return, Ben. I’ll do whatever has to be done to bring you back to me. I need you as much as I need air to live.”


	3. Renewed intention

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My eternal gratitude goes to my TazWren for cleaning up my errors, xxx  
> Your reviews warm my heart, you know?

## 

##  Chapter 3: Renewed intention

"BB-8, I don't have time to answer Rose's hail at the moment." 

The Chronicles of Brush-Bu lay open before Rey. For someone who had barely read a page in her life, the entire epistle was starting to become quite tedious. A few passages demanded a second and a third reading and quite a lot of guessing because it was written in an old-fashioned way that she was not familiar with. The majority of the descriptions were filled with metaphorical passages instead of clearly explaining the most essential details to the point. In the past seven weeks since she started to study, her patience had been tested several times.

The Aionomica volumes, which she had considered at first, were written in Aurabesh and translating those into Galactic Basic was already quite challenging. On top of it, there were passages in that language's predecessor, Protobesh, rendering those sections unreadable without the help of a protocol droid. After two pages, Rey had closed the book with a loud thud and grunted,  _ “ _ Where’s C-3PO when you need him _?” _

She bowed over the Chronicles of Brush-Bu, finding among the restorative techniques - including those that had guided her to repair Anakin’s saber - several with the details of arcane healing.

A series of beeps disturbed her focus once again. “BB-8, can you just stop? I’ll eat after I finished this chapter.” Of late, she rushed through her duties as a moisture farmer to spend the majority of the daylight hours studying and making her own notes. Reading the tedious texts, after dark, under BB-8’s small lightbeam tired her eyes much faster.

_ “I agree with the droid.” _ Ben’s voice came from behind her.

“Don’t start, not you too. I’m not hungry yet, I just ate a short while ago.” She flashed him an annoyed look and returned to the page was giving her quite a headache.

_ “That book offers only healing techniques. Like to heal a kyber crystal.” _ He nudged her to turn the page.

“I’m not finished yet.” Stubbornly, she finished reading before turning the page to start a new chapter. This one just had one more approach to healing a cracked kyber crystal. Muttering, she flipped a page and then another until she landed on a chapter about healing depleted force life. “Ha! See, I’m not wasting time.”

“ _ Read further. _ ” 

  
  


"I can't read as fast as you." Her stomach grumbled loudly, so she stood up to go prepare a food portion under the scrutinizing gazes of both her droid and a blue-shimmering Ben. Ben remained silent but raised an eyebrow. BB-8, on the other hand, beeped his  _ I told you so _ pretty loud and clear. She ignored Ben, but pointed the finger at the droid. "Mind your manners, or I won't take care of your antenna for you."

BB-8 retreated, beeping a scandalized  _ how dare you _ .

She returned to the bench, sat down, and picked up where she had stopped reading, only to find a pointer finger indicating a specific passage. "Oh, kriff. I need to have you in physical form to restore your strength. But I don't know where to find you."

“ _ I don't know where I am, either. _ " The slight hope that had sparked for a minute extinguished in seconds in light of that critical detail. " _ I can only see you in the middle of this sea of blackness, white lines, and doors. _ ”

"At least, this explains how I can restore your life force." She ripped a piece of paper and stuck it in between the pages to mark the section. "BB-8, can you scan a part of the Aionomica book to send it to C-3PO? This passage about all these planets, I don't understand it, but I do recognize the word Ahch-To."

BB-8 rolled happily back and forth before focussing his lens over the section in question. Then, he beeped confirming completion of his task.

“ _ Exegol is mentioned here. _ " Ben's knowledge of Protobesh wasn't the best, but he recognized the Sith planet's name in the primitive script.

“Does it mean that Exegol is connected with Ahch-To?” Rey’s forefinger followed the line connecting the Sith planet with a center circle and the line continuing underneath linking to where Luke lived in exile for all those years.

“ _ Let me read further, see what I can figure out. _ " Ben stood tall over her, bathing her table with his blue glow as his finger moved from word to word. " _ If I’m reading this correctly, it speaks of something called the Vergence Scatter. _ ”

"Vergence Scatter?" Abruptly, Rey rose to grab one of the Aionomica volumes, turning the brittle pages a little more roughly than necessary in her haste. "I remember one of Luke's notations, where he mentions the Vergence Scatter, but he called it something else as well."

“ _ Chain Worlds Theorem.” _ Luke’s deep voice filled the room. Rey saw Ben tense as his glare fixed on his uncle’s face across the table. “ _ Hello, Rey, Ben. _ ” A heavy silence filled the room, broken only by the sound of BB-8’s head unit swivelling back and forth between them.

She had no idea how to diffuse the tension between both men, so instead acknowledged his presence with a small quirk of her lips. Trying to keep her voice as neutral as possible, she drew attention to the problem at hand. "Luke, what more do you know more about this theory?" 

However, as Luke stepped forward, Ben retreated a step and the tension sizzled in the air despite her efforts. For good measure, she quickly unhooked the lightsaber from her belt and stuck it underneath her thigh where she sat. She wanted to prevent the possibility of Ben claiming her weapon and lashing out in his anger at his translucent uncle.

“ _ The Chain Worlds Theorem, or Vergence Scatter, is also known as the World between Worlds. _ ” Luke sat down across from Rey, ignoring his nephew’s menacing glare. He took the time to look around, evidently recognizing his old home. He continued with a heavy sigh, “ _ A mystical plane within the Force serving as a collection of doors and pathways which link together all the moments that exist between time and space. _ ” He lectured in a monotonous tone that Rey recalled from her earlier short stint on Ahch-To.

“ _ Like a dark galaxy, with bright lines outlining paths that form loops and doors that won’t open? _ ” Instantly, Ben became the young padawan at Luke’s temple, listening and asking the right questions as his uncle elaborated further about the Jedi teachings. The animosity had vanished from Ben’s voice in that moment, “ _ Through this only door _ ,  _ I can see Rey and what she’s doing and only her immediate surroundings. The other doors remain closed and block any view.” _

“ _ Your description fits the one defined in the ancient Jedi texts. You may very well be trapped within that plane between time and space. _ ” Luke rubbed his grey beard, pensive.

"Alright, now we know where he is, possibly, how do I reach him to pull him into our world again?" She was a woman of action, spending time reading books wasn't her forte. But her body had something else in mind, and she yawned loudly, her right hand covering her mouth in embarrassment. Ben smirked tenderly, stepping behind her to start their ritual of undoing her buns.

Luke watched the couple in amazement. Ben morphed from the familiar menacing and somewhat brooding presence into a gentle and caring man, attending to the young woman with a tenderness Luke didn’t expect from his nephew. He barely recognized his former padawan, as he’d never seen Ben this peaceful before. Witnessing an intimacy he hadn’t been invited to, he lowered his gaze to the open Aionomica book and read his own notations.

A feel of guilt meddled within his spirit. How he had misjudged his sister's son, thinking that the boy had already embraced evil, instead of seeing the truth before him. How Ben had struggled to find the right path and how much Luke had failed him at every step.

When Rey took Ben’s hand and brought it up to her cheek, that was the moment Luke felt most like an intruder. He cleared his throat, breaking the magic between the couple. “ _ What I found about the World between Worlds is explained here. Alas, I cannot be of more help, as I never actively searched for a way to enter it. _ ”

He turned the book towards the pair. “ _ Ben should be able to decipher this next part, it is written in Aurabesh. It describes how it’s accessible through an ancient painting of the Mortis gods, one that decorated the exterior of the Jedi Temple on the planet Lothal. Although, I know that the temple was destroyed by the Jedi padawan Ezra Bridger when he closed the portal before Darth Sidious could reach it. _ ”

Ben’s growing sliver of hope melted like ice under the sun. “ _ Meaning that there is no way to access it. _ ”

Luke bowed his head in defeat. “ _ Not through Lothal at least. One way or the other, I believe you are stuck in this mystical plane, so there must be another entry portal. But I don't know where. _ ”

“ _ Fantastic _ .” From a heartbeat to another, the brooding temper returned.

“ _ Ben, I have failed you multiple times. You have no idea how much I regret my actions. _ " Luke tried to meet the brown pair of eyes, but the anger staring back at him was too intense, and he averted his gaze.

“ _ Don’t bother. _ " Not that long ago, Ben had hoped for some support while trying to save Rey's life, and even then, he had been left alone, even by the man standing before him. " _ I don’t matter to my family. _ ”

Rey swatted Ben in the arm, “Hey! You do matter. You matter to me.” A second swat at his chest followed. “You matter to us.”

“ _ You are more than family, you’re my everything. _ " Ben stared at her, the rage riding him for a second before he softened his tone, " _ I mean, you're not my mother, father or uncle. _ ”

Luke stared in shock at where Rey pressed Ben’s hand on her belly. “ _ Are you expecting? _ ” His eyes widened at the revelation, “ _ How? _ ”

Ben snorted. Rey stared back, annoyed, "Well, not the conventional way, not that it's any of your business. Somehow, when Ben shared his life essence with me and actively saved my life, he created new life inside my body fourteen weeks ago. Twins, to be precise."

“ _ History is repeating itself, though under different circumstances. Just like my father’s conception, Ben. Your grandfather, a baby created by the Force. _ ” Luke paced in circles, lost in thought. The couple followed his movements with their eyes. “ _ Leia will be so happy when she hears about his. _ ” The sorrow could be heard in his voice.

“ _ You need to find the portal, Rey. You must find the portal and bring Ben back to your world."  _ Luke grabbed her by the shoulders, shaking her frame with urgency. _ “Talk to Maz Katana, she might be of help to you. _ ” 

Feeling a threatening glare from his nephew, he withdrew his hands from Rey. “ _ Ben, read further in this chapter and the next. See if I missed an important detail. I taught you enough Aurabesh to even decipher the little Protobesh you’ll encounter. _ ”

“ _ Don’t order me around. _ ” No matter how much he agreed with Luke’s suggestions, the commanding tone of his uncle irked Ben to no end. “ _ Your change of heart is quite suspicious. _ ”

“ _ I grew up without a father-figure in my life. Your mother only learned about me when I was a young adult. If there’s a tiny chance of saving you, your children deserve a happy life at the side of both their parents. _ ” Luke had approached so close that they stood toe to toe. “ _ I can't exactly hold audience with the elder Jedi wherever I am and ask around for a solution. We don't see each other unless we appear to you. I can only advise, and the Maker knows how much I regret my absence during your moments of need. I'm trying Ben. I'm trying to right the wrongs I did you. Cut me some slack, please, and give me a little trust. _ ”

“ _ I trusted you before and see where it got me! _ ” Ben was furious, suddenly reminded of all the times he had trusted his uncle only to be betrayed in the end.

“ _ I KNOW! _ " Luke shook like a leaf as he shouted. The rage was however turned inwards at himself. " _ I betrayed you, I disappointed you and, when you needed me the most, I abandoned you. I KNOW! I FAILED YOU, AND I REGRET IT! _ ”

Rey watched it unfold, tears running through her cheeks, as her heart bled for both men.

Ben stared at his uncle’s face, lips trembling, his old shattered soul raising to the surface. His sight was blurred by tears he refused to shed.

“ _ This is my last chance to amend all the wrong I did to you. I'll guide Rey at every step, offer her my counsel and all the knowledge I’ve gathered from my research. Even if its the last thing I do. _ ” Luke started to faded away, even while exuding a determination neither Rey or Ben ever witnessed before. “ _ I owe it to you and to Leia _ .” Luke raised a hand seconds before he vanished into thin air.

Crying, Rey threw herself into Ben's arms, which surrounded her frame and pulled her tight against his body. He bent, catching her under the knees and shoulders and carried her to the bed before occupying his customary spot on the other side. Instead of Rey curling around his body, as was their usual, it was he who nestled in her arms, a hand stroking her belly while his tears left wet spots on her shirt. 

The aching pain, the hatred, the feeling of abandonment and loneliness crashed on him with a vengeance and he sobbed silently. For the adult who had endured more pain than anyone deserved to, for the child who had sought guidance and found none.

Rey held on tight, her own body shaking in despair. She sincerely hoped she could find a way to bring him back to her, but she also feared the worst. She sobbed with him until her body caved to the tiredness, and she fell asleep still holding Ben.

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't abandoned my wip's in the Dramione fandom, I simply can't continue as long as I haven't given my Reylo grief a way out. Seeing Ben Solo die for no reason what so ever has shattered my spirit. But also gave me the fire I needed to write with a vengeance again.
> 
> Thank you for your support.


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